


Not Today, Not Tomorrow

by jjokkiri



Series: monsta x bingo (winter 2017) [31]
Category: Monsta X (Band), 우주소녀 | Cosmic Girls | WJSN
Genre: Alternate Universe - Detectives, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Alternate Universe - Spies & Secret Agents, Angst, Hyungwon-centric, Monsta X Bingo, Other
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-04-09
Updated: 2017-04-09
Packaged: 2018-10-16 22:29:17
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,854
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10580799
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/jjokkiri/pseuds/jjokkiri
Summary: The end of an era isn’t the end of a friendship, and the end of a relationship isn’t the end of love.





	

**Author's Note:**

> Please read [_House of Cards_](http://archiveofourown.org/works/8714383) before reading this work. This work contains spoilers from and is a supplementary to the aforementioned work.
> 
> This work was written for the _Detective/Mystery_ square of [Monsta X Bingo](http://archiveofourown.org/collections/MXbingo).

Chae Hyungwon, twenty-seven, reached over the wooden desk and his hands gently placed themselves on top of the hands of the middle-aged woman sitting before him and he managed to flash her a small, soothing smile. She hardly seemed appeased by the action, but he tried his best to calm her. Her eyes were blown wide in panic and desperation.

“Officer—” she started.

“He’s not an officer,” reminded the slender officer leaning against the wall, supervising Hyungwon’s every moment. Hyungwon resisted the urge to scowl at the man with distaste and annoyance.

He hated it when Hanbin, the officer (whom Hyungwon never bothered to learn the surname of), pointed out the obvious (and unnecessary) facts about his career to clients. He had been higher ranked than Hanbin could have ever dreamed of becoming, when he worked for the international law enforcement agency. It had been his choice to resign from his position and disappoint the legacy his family paved—but the decision to step down and work in a local facility hadn’t been made so that he could be judged by a co-worker.

Los Angeles seemed so much more close-minded, now that he had traveled all across the world and worked with so many different people. It made him wish that he never stepped down: maybe then, he would be able to escape the city and do more. Just as he was used to. But, the big city reminded him of New York City, just without the stinging sensation of remembering the past.

He managed to quickly glance at Hanbin in disapproval, before his attention returned to the panicking woman sitting in the chair in front of him. He didn’t catch the way Hanbin arched an eyebrow as if challenging the truth behind his words. Hyungwon was hardly willing to start a fight in the middle of his working hours.

(It reminds him of why he could only stand working with Officer Shin Hoseok, when they were both working for STARSHIP. At the very least, they knew how to not tear at one another and bite as deep as bone.)

The woman almost seemed startled by the sudden voice, despite Hanbin having stood by the wall during the entire course of their conversation.

“I’m not an officer, Mrs. Lee,” Hyungwon repeated with his voice softer than the harsh cut of Hanbin’s. “He’s right.”

“Detective,” she amended, “Detective Chae, please.”

Hyungwon nodded, “Mrs. Lee, we’ll find your daughter for you. I promise.”

The woman, Mrs. Lee, looked almost as if she were on the verge of tears, but she nodded and thanked him. There was a sinking feeling in his stomach, because he hadn’t yet looked at the files for the missing girl. There had been cases flying at him from left and right.

When she left the office, Hyungwon glared at Hanbin, who pushed himself off of the wall and uncrossed his arms from over his chest.

“I would highly appreciate it if you didn’t just interrupt, when I’m speaking to a client,” he quipped. Hanbin rolled his eyes and it made Hyungwon’s blood boil.

When he had applied for work at the office, his ex-co-worker and friend had warned him to not associate the Head Officer with him. At the time, Hyungwon hadn’t understood, but upon learning that Changkyun’s cousin was the Head Officer, he couldn’t help but wonder how they could be related. Changkyun was so kind and gentle, despite his role demanding plenty of him. Hanbin was a completely different story and Hyungwon had no patience for him.

“You’re a detective,” Hanbin answered, “Your role shouldn’t be mistaken for anything else. You have a simple job, and clients who call you _officer_ will expect more from you.”

Hyungwon pressed his lips together before they curled into a terse, polite smile—terribly fake. “Simple, but I do more than half the officers in this place alone. I would _appreciate_ if you didn’t interrupt my client relationships with unnecessary comments.”

“Clients who call you officer will expect more of you,” Hanbin repeated, sternly. Picking up a stray pen on the table, Hyungwon pressed his tongue against the roof of his mouth, biting down on the nasty words threatening to spill from his lips. The detective smiled, instead.

“And if they do,” he told him, eyes sparking despite his calm and collected tone, “I’m more than capable of providing them with the services they need and catering to their expectations in an efficient and timely manner. After all, I don’t need someone else to look through files for me when I receive new information, nor do I need an officer to assist in detainment, because I, unlike some officers, know how to ask questions of suspects. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I have some work to do.”

Hanbin’s jaw dropped at the remark and he flushed, before excusing himself from the detective’s office. Smirking to himself, Hyungwon celebrated a small victory and mentally pat himself on the back, before he flipped open the file folder containing the images of the missing girl.

 

 

 

 _“So, how is my favourite detective doing?”_ the line crackled and Hyungwon rolled his eyes, pushing his phone to the edge of his desk and his eyes scanned the documents.

“I’m doing alright, just working on another small local case,” Hyungwon answered. “What are you doing?”

 _“Me? The typical: babysitting Dawon,”_ came the response with a soft chuckle. Hyungwon swore he heard Dawon shouting in complaint in the background—and then quietly, he heard her ask if Hoseok was speaking to Hyungwon. The confirmation was a hum, and then he heard padding footsteps walk away from the phone on Hoseok’s end of the line.

Shin Dawon was Shin Hoseok’s little sister. When Hyungwon resigned from STARSHIP, Hoseok had asked to be moved back to the London branch of the company and to step down from the position as a special agent. He said that he wanted to be able to support his sister through music school, and it would be much easier if he was in London with her. Dawon had been absolutely thrilled to hear about her brother’s return, alike to their parents, and Hyungwon knew the eighteen year old girl took pity on her older brother’s shattered heart and comforted him with kind words.

In London, Hoseok resigned from the special agent position and resumed his original role as the London branch’s most talented cyber technology and securities intelligence agent, and the only senior ranking agent in the branch. Hoseok often told him stories about the junior members curiously asking him about why he stepped down from his position as a special agent—curious eyes inquiring about the excitement entailing the role. Hoseok told him that he often chuckled and jokingly told them it was fun, as long as you didn’t fall in love. But, they would never know he spoke out of a broken heart and a sorrowful mind.

“Dawon doesn’t seem very pleased that you’re calling her a baby,” Hyungwon grinned, underlining a note in the file. Hoseok scoffed at the remark.

_“What is your case about?”_

Hyungwon glanced at the timer on the call, absently considering his cell phone bill for the next month. He called Hoseok often—they relived their moments as coworkers, frequently. It was hard to get over heartbreak, and they’d both stopped truly trying for months, so they talked about it. They talked until it all felt surreal and numb, and they’d talk again when it started to hurt again.

 _00:31:24._ He could manage the overseas charges.

Sighing, Hyungwon placed his pen down and slid his phone closer to himself, “It’s a missing person file. A girl. She’s seventeen years old and her name is Lee Luda. Her mother came into the office today, and it’s the second time this week that she’s come in to speak to me.”

 _“Any traces of her?”_ Hoseok asked.

“Not that I can find. She was last seen at the library by her high school, it seems. Her mother said she liked to read a lot—often locked herself up in her room to finish novels and she wouldn’t eat dinner, but she would come downstairs and tell them _crazy_ stories.” Hyungwon replied, “And she would smile and tell them she read about it all in books. Her mother is afraid she’s trying to indulge in the lifestyles she’s read about.”

The other line was quiet and Hoseok sighed softly, _“I can hear the hesitation in your voice. There’s something else you want to say to me. What is it?”_

“... I,” he started. And he bit down on his lower lip, because he knew that he shouldn’t have expected anything to really slip past Hoseok. They were practically the same in situations like this, despite their blatant differences. It seemed heartbreak did a lot to damage someone.

 _“I’m listening,”_ Hoseok urged.

“I can’t stop thinking about _him_ ,” Hyungwon confessed. “Her surname is _Lee_ and if that weren’t bad enough, because everything reminds me of him, it’s a missing person case! Mi— _he_ used to run away from home all the time, and Luda’s story sounds so... it just sounds like she could be just like him!

“It makes me wonder if his parents ever ran to look for him like Mrs. Lee is doing for her daughter. He told me they didn’t care, because they never had the time to truly pay attention to him, but what if there was just something he didn’t know? What if they looked for him for days, because they were worried sick for their only child? Hoseok, everything about this case makes me think of him and it’s driving me insane. But, I promised that I would find her daughter for her: I can’t give up on my promises, just because it makes me think of _him_.”

 _“Don’t give up,”_ Hoseok told him. _“That’s a good mentality to start with. You know, I haven’t stopped thinking about them, either.”_

Neither of them have. That was a given fact, and it hurt to say that it was obvious, because it meant that nothing changed since everything had fallen into massive flames. Two years did little to heal open wounds.

They stayed friends after the resigning for the sake of trying to work through this, together. Of course, their years of working together built a precious friendship to the both of them, but their hearts demanded that they stay with those who _understood_.

“They’re unforgettable,” Hyungwon said, quietly. He could feel the way Hoseok’s lips curled into a small smile at the mention. It was strange how they both were trapped in a circle of adoration, even after everything. “Do you think they ever think about us?”

 _“It’s foolish, but I sure hope so,”_ Hoseok told him. _“I want to believe that sometimes, he thinks about me and maybe... misses me a little. I can’t be the only one still stuck in this endless loop of missing him. But, he thinks it’s my fault, right? Probably hates me.”_

“Don’t beat yourself up over it, Hoseok,” Hyungwon interrupted, tone worried. Hoseok inhaled on the other end and the detective leaned back in his chair with a frown on his lips. “I’m sure he doesn’t _hate_ you.”

A soft sigh, again. _“There’s a fine line between love and hate.”_

“You really loved him.”

 _“You really loved_ him _,”_ Hoseok echoed, but they’re talking about two different people.

But, he did. He does. Still does.

There was something enchanting and unforgettable about the way Lee Minhyuk made him feel. They always said that falling out of love with your first love was the hardest, but when your first love was the person who _taught you to love_ , it tore you apart. Hyungwon doubted anyone else really knew the extent of that pain.

Shin Hoseok came close to knowing how much it hurt, he was sure. He had to have.

They both watched one another fall in love with people who they never should have. But, the heart rules every single affection, and Hyungwon wished that it was enough for them to have made it. For them all to be happy with one another, in this life.

They worked so closely together and Hyungwon had never seen the older man try so hard to keep the attention of someone else. Yoo Kihyun had a power over Hoseok that he couldn’t understand. It was different from everyone else which Hoseok defended and reasoned with to his very last breath, when they were detaining and trying to separate the innocent from the guilty. He supposed, _it must be similar to the effect Minhyuk had on him._ That same kind of painful love.

“I did.”

And then, there’s a beat of silence.

_“Do you think that in another life, we could have been happy with them?”_

The question took him by surprise, but the sudden timid tone of Hoseok’s voice struck him with greater surprise. It was as if he thought that he shouldn’t be asking such a question to begin with.

“I think we... could,” Hyungwon answered. “I hope we would.”

_“Do you believe in alternate universes?”_

Hyungwon paused, “I don’t. But, if they exist, then I sure hope I met him again, in that universe and that we’re somehow happy there. Happier than we could have been here, at least.”

Hoseok’s end of the line was quiet for a moment, before he heard the rustling of what he believed were sheets. It was late for Hoseok, and it wouldn’t be surprising if the older man was already in bed.

 _“He was never this wishy-washy and he would have laughed at me, if I asked him all this crap.”_ Hoseok took a breath, but it just sounded like a shock of static through Hyungwon’s phone, _“I think I miss that the most. Being able to make him laugh and just watching him smile.”_

Hyungwon’s heart ached, but then Hoseok is chuckling. It’s a broken sound. Listening to Hoseok reminisce about Kihyun was one of the most painful things about talking to the older man. There was something in Hoseok’s voice when he spoke of the thief that clearly declared that he was still so madly in love, even after all this time. Hyungwon hurt for him, but there was always the unspoken question: _who hurt the most out of all of them?_

Hyungwon’s fingers tapped themselves against the wooden desk and he looked over to the folder containing the information about the missing girl. There was hesitance, before he closed the file folder. Any new information about Luda could certainly wait a couple more hours. He wouldn’t be getting any more work done, tonight.

“I miss him. In general. I just miss everything about him,” Hyungwon breathed, “I miss holding him in my arms and listening to his soft breathing, when he fell asleep.”

Between them, there’s a brief pause. All Hyungwon could hear was the static of the phone, and his eyes flickered to the calling timer. _1:15:03._ And then he quickly glanced to his clock. _22:03_. It was late for Hoseok, and he supposed he should let him go, soon. Supposed he shouldn’t be tearing apart their hearts at such hours of the night.

And out of impulse, out of the instinct to speak because Hoseok wasn’t, Hyungwon called out the older man’s name. The familiar words seemed almost foreign on his tongue—yet, somehow, they felt as if they always belonged there: as if they were supposed to fall that smoothly from his mouth.

“Officer Shin?” Hyungwon called.

Hoseok seemed to hesitate at the title. It had been just under two years since Hyungwon stopped calling him that. He hadn’t let the words slip from his lips after his resignation from STARSHIP. It was reasonable for him to be so surprised to hear it from Hyungwon’s familiar voice, again.

 _“Yes?”_ Hoseok asked, _“What is it?”_

Hyungwon swallowed around the sudden lump in his throat. He had never quite been one to speak on impulse, but the idea overtook his mind. It was foolish, but the last time Hoseok called him, the older man had pleaded for Jooheon to track down the thieves again. They were off the radar, but it wasn’t impossible to track them down. Not when STARSHIP had special agents scattered all around the world, waiting for orders.

“... Do you want to go to South Korea with me, next summer?”

And he hadn’t been expecting Hoseok’s answer.

_“For old time’s sake?”_

“For old time’s sake,” he repeated, firmly. He can feel Hoseok’s smile.

They bid one another goodnight, shortly after. And Hyungwon doesn’t need to ask to know: that night, Hoseok dreams of a light-haired beauty with bright eyes and a stunning smile. He knows, because his mind is haunted by mischievous eyes and everything Lee Minhyuk.

He’s sure they’re both out of their minds.

But, between love and heartbreak, things happened. Everything was so fragile; simply breakable with a gust of wind. His heart sinks when he falls asleep wishing their love was built on something greater than that.

**Author's Note:**

> A special thank you to K, who reminded me that I had a huge work based around agents/detectives/thieves, when I complained that I didn't know how to fill this prompt; to A, who assured me that ex-agents/detectives _totally_ worked; and an additional thank you to the commenter who reminded me that I never disclosed what happened to the officers post-House of Cards. I'm sorry for crushing your dreams.
> 
> As always, you can find me on [Twitter](https://twitter.com/kkyunjus/)!


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